How to pronounce “early”
Early is pronounced /ˈɜːrliː/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — ɜːr. Below: the syllable split, native audio in both accents, the mistake people actually make with this word, and every individual sound in it explained.
Syllables and stress
Split it into 2 beats. The highlighted syllable is the strong one: say it louder, longer and a touch higher in pitch, and let the others fall away. English is a stress-timed language, so getting ɜːr in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Oo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
The common mispronunciation of “early”
✗ Often said: /ˈiːrliː/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /ˈɜːrliː/
Why the two come apart: at least one vowel does not say what its spelling suggests — English vowel letters are not reliable here; also, a consonant letter takes an unexpected sound value here, so reading it "as written" comes out wrong.
This is why reading English aloud from spelling alone goes wrong so often: the letters of “early” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“early” sound by sound
“early” is built out of 3 sounds. Say each one on its own first, slowly, then run them together at speed. Every sound links to a full guide with mouth position, the mistake learners make with it, and other words that use it.
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ɜːrHold the tongue central and bunched or curled back for the whole vowel, with the R quality present from beginning to end — it is one continuous r-coloured vowel, not a vowel plus an /r/.
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lTouch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth and let the voiced air flow around the sides of the tongue.
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iːSpread the lips into a smile, push the front of the tongue high and forward, and hold the sound tense and long.
Words that rhyme with “early”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Minimal pairs — words one sound away from “early”
Each of these differs from “early” by exactly one sound. If you can say both of a pair and hear the difference, that sound is under control:
Questions people ask about “early”
- How do you pronounce “early”?
- “early” is pronounced /ˈɜːrliː/, with the stress on the first syllable (ɜːr). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “early”?
- “early” has 2 syllables: ɜːr · liː. The stress pattern is Oo.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “early”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈiːrliː/, but it is actually /ˈɜːrliː/, because at least one vowel does not say what its spelling suggests — English vowel letters are not reliable here.
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